Mike C

I am not an easy or natural convert to the world of social media but having young sons I have embraced it as I feel I must do so to try and keep abreast of the realities of their world. ( I take it I am right in thinking that a forum such as this falls under the category of social media? ) This thread confirms some of my worst fears about all of this high tech communication malarkey. It’s all a little sad and pathetic that gripes are being aired in this place in this manner. Must I chat to my boys and explain that when someone stemmed me up or pinched my lock ‘I used to talk to them directly about it in the old days’ but understand that they will want to hold the grudge and then air it to other people on a public forum as soon as they have range for their Ipad? Is that really the way to do things? – Must I also revise my advice to them that if they feel that they have been shunned by someone they hoped liked them, that instead of chatting to the person directly or processing their own disappointment, but that the best resolution will be come to a social forum and tell the world? What pitiable nonsense! - I’m proud to still prefer other more traditional forms of solution and redress.

'Tis a 20 with a Gearbox and its not Broke.....just in 'used' condition. Its been in since the kromhout was taken out.

Tam/Carl Who is steering Stamford in Uxbrdge lock - is it John Batton?

Reuben is asking if anyone has recent pictures of 'Bude' .....and where is it at the moment? Mike C (On behalf of Reuben C)

Thanks everyone these pictures are great. I have been thinking and has any one seen any pictures of her working for GUCC? - there must be one somewhere Reuben C

Yes, but that’s only a term I heard in the north west, and not for a while – was it a name that Shrubby gave them?

I agree with 'kingofthecut'– there seems to be a lot of dictionary readers replying here. It is, and has been for as long as I can recall, been the case that a plate under the counter of a deep narrowboat to assist in holding back when the counter is clear of the water is referred to as an ‘Anti-Cavitation Plate’ . The oldest intact arrangement I have seen has been in place (as is) since the early 1960’s. With reference to the wider debate - Yes, cavitation in a lab sense is exactly as described, with gas (usually oxygen) generated from pressure differences in the water caused by propeller action. But please lets not allow the flexing of intellectual prowess to fuel opportunity to cause changes to known norms in our very limited world of narrowboats. – Narcissism in this forum is silly and ugly Python – You would be wise to seek independent professional advice and listen to them, boats repaired by reacting to all inputs without vetting their validity and worth is likely to cost you heavily in the long term. (Edited for clarity)

? Ummm

I think those chains and hardware deserve better chimneys

I also had one for a while - if I remember correctly it was one of a series produced by BWB............and I think that the motor was against the bank – or is my memory being a bit fuzzy?

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies keep them coming, they’re great! From Reuben C

Reuben (my 12 yr old son) has asked me to post this on his behalf Dear all I am looking for any pictures of large Northwich ‘Stamford’ when she was working for GU or others – can anyone help please? Thank You Reuben C

Umm 'Quant'? - Ive always believed that was a pole for use with a punt and what Moominpapa is refering to is a 'Long shaft' or a 'Shaft'

Thank you - I didnt know that, but it explains clearly why RW's craft is known as 'Ash 2.

I believe that the one at Denham is NOT the 'Ash' but one of the others whose name was lost in the mist of time. As such the Denham Ash is named 'Ash 2' when the current owner was persuaded that it wasn’t the real thing. There are some distinguishing features that are unique to the conversion that my father completed that make the real Ash identifiable.

Yes I agree on all counts - thats how I remember it.

The link takes you to a collection of lovely pics - but several errors - one as below "Motor Kenilworth, a large Northwich boat built in 1936 at Woolwich, pictured at Blisworth............" A riveting oxymoron.

I remember seeing it like this but without the wheelhouse, I didn’t realise that Jason had fitted the fashion plates (Ostimer) - I knew that he had fitted the steering quadrant cover. Were the fashion plates refitted to original or a Jason Mod?

A young and handsome(?) Mike C with Jason Murrell on White Heather, Hanwell August 1986 delivering two craft for hire on the Thames. Your too kind Tam - but loverly pictures

........in thw late 80's it was owned by a biker with lots of white hair and white beard who was known as 'Snowy'

I think he went to look at 'Ash' first and Dad wouldnt sell it to him as it wasnt suitably converted for cruising and so instead they sent him off to look at 'Elizabeth' - I guess that would have been in '67/'68 ? .......and it went over the channel on a truck !

Come on chaps - 'gunwhales'? surley 'Side decks' ?

No not this year.

Lee - What you are doing is to be encouraged, whilst I agree with Pete about accuracy please don’t be put off. Criticism is easy to find but energy to keep things as they are or improve them is much more scarce and much, much more important. It may have been written ‘Burscough II’ but I grew up in Burscough and knew some of the local boatmen, several worked on the timber short boat ‘Roland’ as a restaurant boat and then ‘Ambush’ when it replaced the Roland, and after Mike Sampson had used it as a trip boat in Liverpool. The name as I recall it was ‘Burscough 2’ – pronounced locally as ‘Bursca two’. As a craft that went into the docks it would have had the name chiselled onto the hull as a permanent marking – (Certainly ‘Ironclad’ did (AKA Cadellis (SP please Pluto))) and I’m surprised that a sign writer would go to the trouble of painting ‘2’ (I remember it as ‘2’) if the markings he was to follow for docks regs was ‘II’ – but this is my supposition This opens up the old chestnut – what is real history? – is it paper records or actual events? Is a fully rebuilt boat to ‘as it left the builders’ history or is history ‘as it was when it was working ?’. – I think both have their place but for me I like the more alive version of how it really was as that is much more interesting than the how it was delivered as there are the bits that tell at tale of the people and of the boats use. Is an Aston Martin used in a James Bond film not more interesting than one that has been restored to perfect interpretation of how it first left the works? – for me it is. Incidentally – I believe that ‘Burscough 2’ is in Ireland not France and that the owners there thought she was called the ‘Liverpool’ ! Edited for spelling !

I think that this picture is back to front. It is actually looking up river but is shown as looking downriver.